Jump to content
    Geron Kees
  • Author
  • 3,160 Words
  • 3,833 Views
  • 28 Comments
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Rules of the Road - 10. Chapter 10

Reader's Note: Some chapters of his story contain scenes with the use of marijuana and alcohol by teens, explicit language, and fighting.

Brian and Ed appeared at the shopping center just before 7:15. Brian nosed the Bee into an empty couple of spaces between Wade Tomlinson's Chevelle and Pete Brigg's GTO. Pete was a sometimes member of the car crowd, but had been making himself seen around a lot more lately. His green '67 goat was pretty, but was bone stock, and Pete was more of a driver in it than a racer.

Mike Zurka was at the window even before Brian shut off his car's engine. "Brian! What the fuck? I thought you went AWOL on us."

Brian laughed. "Nah. I was just straightening out a few things. You'll be seeing more of me now."

Ed laughed and stretched out a hand from the passenger seat. "Pay up, motherfucker."

Mike scowled, dug in his pocket and pulled out a handful of crumpled bills. He found a fiver, flung it in the window at Ed.

"I should have known better than to bet with the guy's best friend."

Ed nodded. "Yep. You should have."

"Seen Bailey around?" Brian asked. A cold beer would taste pretty good about now.

"He's on a run," Mike said, nodding. "He'll be back in a few minutes."

Ed grinned. "You ever wonder what the guy behind the counter at the beer store thinks of Bailey coming in every few minutes and buying more beer?"

Mike laughed. "Probably just thinks Bailey is real thirsty."

Another car drove into the lot and pulled up. Dave Routh, in his Nova - his red Nova.

Brian gaped, and looked over at Ed. "I gotta see this."

They climbed out, and headed over to where Dave was just getting out of the car. The new arrival wore a smile that could best be described at elated. No shit there, as the car was simply beautiful.

Wade Tomlinson reached Dave first, and was clapping him on the back when Brian and Ed arrived.

"It looks great, man," Wade was saying, while eyeing the car's satin finish. "Who did the job?"

Dave grinned. "Well, I took your advice and went down to the industrial park and talked to Ricky Bergen."

Wade nodded, his grin growing. "I told you he did good work."

"Hey, Dave," Brian said, indicating the car. "Looks sharp as shit."

"Oh, hey, Brian. What's up? Yeah, thanks. It cost me a little, but it does look great, doesn't it?"

Ed made a small noise. "Don't think them Kennedy dudes will recognize it now."

"Nope. And I haven't been down there, either. I don't intend to take any more chances with those guys."

Bailey Maxwell returned, took Brian's money and his order.

Bailey grinned at him. "Two sixes of Molson? You never get two, Brian. You expecting company?"

"Actually, I am. Maybe a Kennedy guy."

Dave Routh snorted. "You're kidding." But then he smiled. "Oh. You mean Tim? I like that guy."

Brian shook his head. "No. Someone else. But he's cool, too, and I'll vouch for him."

Wade looked at him. "Good enough for me. Anyone we know?"

Brian grinned. "Yeah. The guy I raced, with the Camaro."

Wade's jaw dropped. "No shit. Man, I'd love to check that Camaro out." He looked at Dave. "Like to look under the hood of that car?"

Dave nodded. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind it." He looked at Brian. "You sure he's coming?"

Brian shrugged. "Said he would. Nothing's ever certain in this world, though."

Someone plugged in a tape, and some old AC/DC drifted across the end of the parking lot. Bailey returned with the beer and Brian took one of the sixes and stashed it in the little cooler of ice he'd lashed in a corner of the trunk of the Bee with bungee cords. Then he handed a beer from the second six-pack to Ed, two to Bailey, offered ones to Wade and Dave, and took the last one for himself.

"Wish I had some smoke," Ed said, sighing.

Wade laughed. "Pete's got a little. Go talk to him. Maybe he'll sell you a joint."

"Yeah?" Ed turned away, grinning, and headed for the green GTO.

"So - Brian." Wade grinned at him. "You been hanging out with the other side?"

Brian smiled in return. "I've been hanging out with Jeff some, yeah. He's the Camaro guy."

Dave squinted at him. "How'd that happen? I mean, after the race, the guy went a little nuts and tried to beat up on you."

Brian nodded. "Remember the day he came by the school, and wanted me to go with him? It was an apology, of sorts. He's really a good dude. He just lost it a little that night."

Wade frowned. "I can get that. Hard to go from being the king to second best."

"Our cars are really close, performance-wise," Brian said. "That race could have gone either way."

Dave laughed. "Well, it went your way, man, so you're the king for now."

Ed came back, grinning. "I need some help here." He had a tiny baggie in his hand.

"Not me," Brian said, holding up a hand. "Not in the mood. Beer's fine tonight."

Ed wagged his eyes at Dave and Wade, who laughed and went off with Ed so that they could use the mini-bong out of sight of the cars driving through the still open shopping center. It wouldn't get quiet until after the pizza place closed at eleven.

The sun had dropped low in the sky, and was filtered now through the tops of the tall trees behind the shopping center. With that had come a noticeable drop in temperature, although the humidity was still bordering on the unpleasant. Brian sat inside the Bee with his legs outside the open door, sipping his beer.

He hoped Jeff would keep his promise to show up. The other boy needed a life other than the one he had now - one without solitude built in as its base. Jeff was a sweet, smart, and funny guy, and he had a lot to offer if he'd just let some more of his walls down and join in. His fear of being recognized as gay was ruining what should have been a wonderful life for him. All that he had going for him, and he still could not be happy. Looks, a sense of humor, personality. A family that cared about him - even if they didn't always get along with him. And other things, less quantifiable as marks of success, but still there: a successful little business of his own, a great car and the freedom of movement it offered, the acceptance of his peers - if not always their understanding. All seemed bound to be wasted if he was unable to share himself with others.

Being alone in life is not a life.

Jeff had Brian, too. That the other boy had allowed Brian to draw him out of his shell was wasted if Jeff was still too afraid to take advantage of the things he saw out there. Brian intended that Jeff see what it was like to be part of something more than what he had now on his own. People were so important to happiness that Brian just could not imagine living with the loneliness that Jeff must had endured. Brian was familiar with the often solitary wind that blew threw a soul that had been born gay; but he had not, in the end, let it turn him off of people. Brian had friends, and that kept his loneliness from being pure.

An old Ford station wagon came into the lot and pulled into a parking place outside the pizza place. Two girls got out and started inside; but one looked Brian's way, reached out and tapped the other. They both stopped, looking towards Brian.

Annabelle and Missy.

Brian waved, and held up his beer. The girls waved back, and went on into the pizza shop. Brian took another sip off his beer, gazed up into the inverted, crystalline bowl of the sky and noticed that the first stars were coming out, even while the setting sun still filtered through the darkening blue.

Impatient things, stars.

The girls reemerged from the pizza shop, Annabelle carrying a large, flat box. They got into the Ford, and it pulled forward and angled itself towards the cars parked in the corner. Brian watched it come, smiling.

The more the merrier.

The car drew up and stopped with a small squeak of displeasure from the brakes. The girls got out and came over.

"Hi, Brian. What's up?" Annabelle was all smiles.

Missy peered inside the Bee, looked a little disappointed. "Ed's not with you?"

Brian laughed. "What, you want him to be here? I thought he bugged you."

Missy smiled. "Not that much."

"Yeah, he's back behind the building with Wade and Dave, getting his brain cells rearranged. They'll be back in a minute."

Brian looked at Annabelle, who was patiently waiting for an answer. "I'm doing good, little girl. How are you?"

She smiled, and one eyebrow went up. "That your first beer?"

"It is. You want one? " He dug in his pocket, handed her his key ring. "Round-headed key. Cooler's in the trunk. Get Missy one, too."

She smiled, took the keys, gave him the eye. "You're in a good mood."

"I'm not, really. I'm waiting even now to kill someone. I just haven't decided who yet."

Annabelle laughed, went around behind the car. Brian heard the trunk pop open, felt the car move as Annabelle swung up the lid. He could hear the movement of the ice in the cooler as she dug out two Molsons, and then the car dipped as the lid closed with a meaty thwunk!

A few cars down, AC/DC had been replaced by Bon Jovi in the tape deck.

Ed and the others came back, laughing over something probably silly.

"Whoa! Look who's here!" Ed sounded pleased.

"No hugging," Brian heard Missy protest, and the sound of Wade and Dave laughing.

"I wasn't going to touch," Ed said, sounding mock-hurt. "I was just tryin' to shoo that angel away that was flyin' around your head."

Missy laughed.

In the car, Brian grinned. People mean everything.

Annabelle came back, carrying her beer. She leaned up against the pillar of the door, careful to keep herself off of the exterior paint. "What do you guys have planned? Missy and I have a pizza, if you all want to share."

Brian shrugged, smiling at her. "Not a damn thing. Sit here, drink a beer or two, listen to some tunes. Maybe eat some pizza." He laughed, and so did she.

"No cruising tonight?"

Brian shrugged. "Maybe later. Maybe not. Sometimes it's nice just to sit."

The girl looked at him a little strangely. "You're really mellow tonight. You have a few hits off of Ed's bong?"

"Nuh uh. Just the way I'm feeling, I guess."

She nodded. "I see." She looked up into the sky. "Pretty night."

Brian laughed. "I was just thinking kinda the same thing."

Out along the road, the streetlights lit, followed soon by the shopping center's tall parking lot lights. The sun settled further, giving the sky behind the trees a rose color that sent wavy tendrils into the darkening sky overhead. Crickets could be heard in the woods to the rear of the shopping center, a soft, underlying summer chorus unable to be totally submerged in the sounds of traffic going by.

Brian sighed. "I love these kind of evenings. Especially this time of the evening."

Annabelle smiled. "Me, too. It feels like everything is kind of stopped for a few minutes, just so we can enjoy it."

Brian just nodded.

In the distance, he heard the sound of engines. He sat up straighter, turned to look at the road.

Just stopping at the traffic light at the intersection was Tim's green GTX. Behind it was Jeff's Camaro.

Brian indicated to Annabelle that he wanted to get out, and she took a few steps back. "What's up?"

"Company coming," Brian said, grinning. He took another swig off his beer, looked for Ed. "Hey, guys! They're here."

He looked at Annabelle. "You coming?"

"Where are we going?"

Brian grinned, took her by the forearm, closed the door of the Bee, and walked her around to the back of the car. "Right here. So they can see us."

"Who?"

"You'll see."

The light changed and the cars moved out with the briefest of complaints from their tires.

Ed and the others came around to stand beside them, and they all watched as the two Kennedy cars entered the parking lot. Tim knew where they would be - he'd been here before. He turned the GTX their way, and the Camaro followed.

"Bad sons-a-bitches, both of them," Wade said, admiringly. "Pretty as shit, aren't they?"

There was a general nod of agreement, even from the two girls.

The two visitors drew up to them, revved their engines a couple of times, and shut down.

The door of the GTX opened, and Tim got out, beer-in-hand, grinning. "Hey, y'all. What's up?"

He came over, patted Brian on the shoulder, mock-swung at Ed, pointed at the other guys. "See the whole gang is here."

Brian squeezed Annabelle's arm, smiled at her. "Be right back."

He circled the GTX, went up to the Camaro's side window, leaned down. "Hi."

Jeff looked out at him, and Brian knew him well enough now to see the nerves in his expression.

"Hi. I'm here."

"Uh huh. You have to get out of the car, though."

Jeff smiled. "Aw, do I gotta?"

Brian laughed. "Yup. Come on."

Jeff licked his lips. "I'm nervous as shit."

Brian looked over his shoulder. Everyone was talking to Tim; no one was watching them.

He dropped a hand inside the car, shielded by his body, found Jeff's hand, gripped it reassuringly. "Just be yourself. You already know how much I love that guy. I think the others are going to like him, too."

Jeff smiled, squeezed his hand, let go. He found the door handle, and Brian stepped back as the door opened.

Jeff got out, took a deep breath, shut the door.

Brian felt a small thrill. This just might work. "Want a beer?"

Jeff nodded slowly. "Sure."

Brian headed for the trunk of the Bee, and Jeff followed. Wade and Dave looked up at them, grinned, waved. Brian smiled back.

He opened the trunk of the car, got Jeff a beer from the cooler. He polished off his own, got another for himself.

They closed the lid, went over to the others, who looked at them as they came up.

"Hey, guys. This is my buddy, Jeff Breakman." Brian raised a hand, gave Jeff's shoulder a little squeeze. "I know he goes to Kennedy, but he's hoping you won't notice."

Tim laughed, waving his Budweiser at Brian. "Hey. I resent that remark. Kennedy is just as good a school as Proctor."

Brian grinned. "Shhh. That's a secret."

Jeff laughed, raised a hand in a small wave. "Hi. Good to see you all."

Ed came over, gave Jeff a gentle clap on the shoulder. Wade and Dave were right behind him. "Dude, these two Chevy freaks want to see under your hood. Think that might happen?"

Jeff nodded, smiled at Brian. "Sure. Come on."

Brian let Jeff go on his own, watching as the other boy went to the Camaro and raised the hood. Wade and Dave crowded around, looking closely while being careful not to lean on the paint. Funny, the instincts car guys develop.

Brian felt someone close to him and looked over. Annabelle was there, smiling at him. "You like that guy, huh?"

Brian was surprised, but nodded. "Yeah. He's a good dude."

Annabelle looked over to where Jeff was animatedly explaining something under the hood, his eyes bright in the glow of the parking lot lights, a smile all over his face.

"Funny, considering the way you guys met."

Brian looked down at her, nodded. "Stranger shit has happened."

Annabelle laughed. "You say that a lot, Brian. Did you ever notice?"

Really? Brian knew it was a general opinion of his that things in life often ran along mysterious pathways; but he hadn't been aware that he had put it so much into words. Life had that quality about it. Each day a new adventure, each night a thoughtful rest.

Every summer was a time of change. Brian knew that, had felt it since he was a small boy. School let out, summer came in, wound on, ran down. School came back.

But you were never the same guy that left school in the Spring, when you went back in the Fall. Summer had changed you; the events of summer had evolved you. New people had come into your life, new ideas had made themselves known; new experiences had changed the way you viewed everything. Everything.

Brian looked over at Jeff. He loved the guy, plain and simple. Brian had no illusions about the permanency of that; losing Chris had taught him that life seldom respected love. Life had rules all it's own, and seldom stopped to explain them. You had to be observant, you had to look, and you had to understand what you were seeing.

Jeff caught him watching, and his smile broadened. For a moment his eyes twinkled, before his gaze went back to his listeners.

Brian felt good inside. There was hope here. Jeff was likely going to make it. Brian would help every way he could.

Annabelle was watching Jeff. "He seems nice enough."

Brian nodded. Jeff was that. And many other pleasant things, too.

Annabelle turned to look back at Brian, and seemed to be wondering about maybe seeing something extra there. "Nice of you to invite the guy."

Brian looked down at her, saw questions in her eyes she likely never would ask.

"Courtesy," he said, smiling, "is one of the rules of the road."

Annabelle laughed, and squeezed his arm. "You're really acting weird tonight, Brian. We're not even on the road."

Brian nodded, but didn't say anything more.

Of course they were on the road. They were always on the road. Everywhere they went in life was down some road, be it smooth and pleasant, or rocky and rough. Everything, at every time, and everywhere, was just part of the journey.

There were hitchhikers and traffic cops, detours and barricades, breakdowns on the shoulder, off ramps and on ramps to be navigated. You had to be careful, you had to be alert. Courtesy went a long way, errors could be deadly, and the tolls you paid extreme if you weren't prepared to deal with them.

It wasn't the vehicle that carried you that made the difference. How you traveled the roads in your life was the important thing.

And, of course, who you traveled them with.


 

Brian and Jeff will be back in Road of Dreams.
For Ed, who was there; and for other friends lost, who were not.
Copyright © 2016 Geron Kees; All Rights Reserved.
  • Like 30
  • Love 11
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
You are not currently following this author. Be sure to follow to keep up to date with new stories they post.

Recommended Comments

Chapter Comments



  • Site Administrator

Thank you for sharing this story with us. Great ending with a great message. I'm really looking forward to the sequel. :)

  • Like 3
  • Love 2
Link to comment
On 09/13/2016 07:18 AM, bubby1234 said:

Nice ending to a beautiful story,nothing to look fwd to now lol,have to wait for part two,i thank you for your superb story my friend.

Thanks for taking the trip with me. Much to be said for the company one keeps on the road.

  • Like 2
  • Love 2
Link to comment
On 09/13/2016 07:42 AM, Petey said:

Such a beautiful, optimistic romantic story, yet tempered with reality. Can't wait for part 2!

Thank you. The difficult part about writing a follow up to a story is best outlined by the same muse that Brian had about summer: you are not the same person at the end, as you were at the beginning. Even though I wrote Rules this year, I've written much in between that tale and the one that will follow it. I will do my best to recapture that car summer, but - life moves on. Thanks again.

  • Like 2
  • Love 2
Link to comment
On 09/13/2016 07:54 AM, Valkyrie said:

Thank you for sharing this story with us. Great ending with a great message. I'm really looking forward to the sequel. :)

Thank you for the time you spent reading and letting me share your thoughts. And for sharing your stories with me. Definitely, a very pleasant two-way street.

  • Like 2
  • Love 2
Link to comment

I think Annabelle knows about Brian too, unless I'm misreading her actions...or at least has a strong suspicion.
A sequel? Hot Damn! I can't wait!

  • Like 2
  • Love 2
Link to comment

Enjoyed this story the first time last spring on Nifty, even better the second time around, As a car guy who went to high school in the late 70's in the Hudson valley I was reminiscing with this story of the importance of the car in our culture of the times. As you said the first chapters revolved around the car to setup the relationship between the characters but I saw this as setting the back ground. You said that we are different people in the Fall from who we were in Spring and so I look forward to the new story, to see what changes are in store from you.

  • Like 2
  • Love 2
Link to comment
On 09/13/2016 09:37 AM, ColumbusGuy said:

I think Annabelle knows about Brian too, unless I'm misreading her actions...or at least has a strong suspicion.

A sequel? Hot Damn! I can't wait!

I'm not telling. Annabelle is in the sequel, too. You'll have to wait and see... :)

  • Like 2
  • Love 2
Link to comment
On 09/13/2016 11:27 AM, Larry said:

Enjoyed this story the first time last spring on Nifty, even better the second time around, As a car guy who went to high school in the late 70's in the Hudson valley I was reminiscing with this story of the importance of the car in our culture of the times. As you said the first chapters revolved around the car to setup the relationship between the characters but I saw this as setting the back ground. You said that we are different people in the Fall from who we were in Spring and so I look forward to the new story, to see what changes are in store from you.

Oh, a Nifty Alumni, huh? Hi! I love that place. It's like when I was a kid and we'd go to the dump and dig through the piles of stuff all about. Lots and lots of junk; but you dig long enough and you'll find some great stuff underneath.

In my car days in the mid-eighties I met a lot of guys who had been into that scene for ten years or more. A lot of guys that were driving in the seventies had really nice muscle that they had bought when it was just a few years old, and which they had babied and kept as close to mint as possible. I bought my Bee from such a guy. The eighties were really the tail-end years for all but the diehard cars guys, and through the nineties and the early new millennium I stopped seeing those sixties cars on the road where I live.

But about seven or eight years ago, they started coming back. I decided that the guys who were teens when I was were now getting older, and wanted to relive a lot of memories. Most of the guys I see driving the Chevelles and Roadrunners and Mustangs these days are older.

Just goes to show that there is no such thing as being a kid just once.

  • Like 2
  • Love 2
Link to comment
On 09/13/2016 10:52 PM, Parker Owens said:

I have enjoyed this story immensely. I thank you for posting it; it has a wonderful, almost mystical quality. The way Jeff and Brian manage to connect and sustain their relationship is unforgettable. And your final lines are priceless.

Thank you for reading the story and commenting on it. I am always fascinated by how writing can affect some people very deeply, yet a hundred other people can read the same story and be bored or toss it off as just "okay". I've had this experience myself, where I have read something that I thought was just wonderful, but when I passed it on to friends they said later that it was "okay" or "not for me".

So it puts it in perspective, I guess. I'm pleased that you read the story and could see some of the same things in your mind that I saw when I wrote it. Those type of connections are what make writing satisfying to every author.

  • Like 2
  • Love 2
Link to comment
On 09/22/2016 02:30 PM, Headstall said:

Terrific final chapter. Brian's character is so well rounded. I said in an earlier chapter review how I'd like to have been his friend, and this reinforced that desire. I will confess to being a thinker at that age, and I love your philosophical winding up of this story. I learned to look at the world in ways different from my friends, and whether it was because of what I kept hidden away doesn't really matter. I connected with both the story and Brian. Thank you for taking me back to a different time in my life... the journey... the road... was remarkably satisfying, and I am pleased to hear there will be a sequel. I intend to take that trip too... cheers... Gary....

Oh, I think having a secret life hidden from others makes you far more thoughtful, no question. Even the stereotype of gay guys depicts most of them as intelligent and artistic. That "normal" people integrate some of the characteristics of nerd-dom into their perceptions of gays is only demonstrative of the intellectual impact gays have on society.

That said, an apple-picker with a vocabulary of 100 words can be gay, so gay is not really about intelligence or ability. But if you do happen to be gay and intelligent - yes, it makes for a pairing that seems to induce introspection and creative thinking. Gay teens of both sexes have a great social disadvantage - but they tend to have an intellectual advantage, too. Sometimes the positive aspects of the one can offset many of the negative aspects of the other.

Thank you for taking the time to read the story, and to make the very thoughtful and positive comments.

  • Like 2
  • Love 2
Link to comment

The rules of the road are always changing, even if you're not even ON the road! lol

 

I do think Annabelle may have a little inkling about how much Bry likes Jeff. :)

 

I absolutely LOVED this story, Geron! I'm so glad I listened to Val and started reading it! :) It's true I'm not a car person (my bff in Jersey is always saying, "Oh, wow, did you see the new so-and-so"? And I'm like, "No." When of course I MAY have; I just didn't pay any attention to cars I see on the road! That said, I will admit that I LOVED the Datsuns back in the day. I'm trying not to date myself, but I did have an awesome 280ZX that I HATED to part with! Of course it was a manual trans.

 

I did Google the Super Bee and the Camaro from the late 60s, just so I could compare it to the Camaros I remember seeing. There was so much hood on those cars! My Datsun must have been like that too.

 

Anyway, I loved the message at the end of the chapter. Brian is smart, and he knows that he's growing mentally and physically every day. And now Jeff is growing too and hopefully coming out of his shell a bit. I can't wait to start reading part two! :)

 

I don't know why my review of chapter nine came out as a story review. Oh, I think I remember! I didn't finish reading the chapter, but I wanted to comment on how awesome Ed is, so I just commented in the story review, so I wouldn't be tempted to read the other reviews of chapter nine. I think that was it! lol

  • Like 3
  • Love 2
Link to comment
On 02/20/2017 06:10 AM, Lisa said:

The rules of the road are always changing, even if you're not even ON the road! lol

 

I do think Annabelle may have a little inkling about how much Bry likes Jeff. :)

 

I absolutely LOVED this story, Geron! I'm so glad I listened to Val and started reading it! :) It's true I'm not a car person (my bff in Jersey is always saying, "Oh, wow, did you see the new so-and-so"? And I'm like, "No." When of course I MAY have; I just didn't pay any attention to cars I see on the road! That said, I will admit that I LOVED the Datsuns back in the day. I'm trying not to date myself, but I did have an awesome 280ZX that I HATED to part with! Of course it was a manual trans.

 

I did Google the Super Bee and the Camaro from the late 60s, just so I could compare it to the Camaros I remember seeing. There was so much hood on those cars! My Datsun must have been like that too.

 

Anyway, I loved the message at the end of the chapter. Brian is smart, and he knows that he's growing mentally and physically every day. And now Jeff is growing too and hopefully coming out of his shell a bit. I can't wait to start reading part two! :)

 

I don't know why my review of chapter nine came out as a story review. Oh, I think I remember! I didn't finish reading the chapter, but I wanted to comment on how awesome Ed is, so I just commented in the story review, so I wouldn't be tempted to read the other reviews of chapter nine. I think that was it! lol

Ah. I think you're right about how your last review got off all by itself. I forgot about the story review. And, now that you've mentioned it, it happened once before.

 

I know that the story you just completed was very car-oriented. The first six chapters or so are a little hard-going for some people. I mentioned before that the cars needed to be made into characters so that people really understood their place in the lives of the humans in the tale. That has been done now, and so I did not do it again in the second installment of the story. The cars are there, and they still have something of personality to them, but they have taken a step back and the people are front and center.

 

It made me smile that you actually Googled some of the cars. That tells me you were at least interested, which I take as a compliment. Thank you.

 

And thank you for your enthusiasm. Your reviews are a whirlwind of smiles and happy things. Makes me feel pretty good to read them!

  • Like 2
  • Love 2
Link to comment

Hi again. I do plan to have a third installment in The Road series. Just have to get the time to write it.

 

I'm happy you've enjoyed the stories. I have another one coming here before too long - the sequel to Thrift Shop Nation. Hope you like that one, too.

  • Like 2
  • Love 2
Link to comment

Ha. Google has been a companion throughout my read of this story too.

I'm not a car guy (I'm actually into buses; not vans, more like 12-meter-plus city buses), but I have some interest in cars. I never actually had a car, or a driver's license for that matter, despite being 29 years old (nothing against it; living in a city like São Paulo and working from home, I just never had the need), but I like reading about them, learning how they work, and stuff like that. So, this was an interesting read.

I liked the characters, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel (which I'll do right now). Again, thanks for the work.

  • Like 3
  • Love 2
Link to comment
On 7/13/2017 at 5:23 AM, David Santos said:

Ha. Google has been a companion throughout my read of this story too.

I'm not a car guy (I'm actually into buses; not vans, more like 12-meter-plus city buses), but I have some interest in cars. I never actually had a car, or a driver's license for that matter, despite being 29 years old (nothing against it; living in a city like São Paulo and working from home, I just never had the need), but I like reading about them, learning how they work, and stuff like that. So, this was an interesting read.

I liked the characters, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel (which I'll do right now). Again, thanks for the work.

 

Hi David,

 

São Paulo? Man, you are a ways from home, huh? Nice to see you here.

 

Buses are also cool. Back when i was a teen, they had these big GMC's roaming around, with the 6-71 blowers on them, that whined and howled, and you could hear them coming for a city block. I saw a demolition derby once with old city buses, and it was one of the most impressive (and destructive) things I have ever seen.

 

They had bus races in these parts, too. A bus is quite an impressive machine, actually, and I have seen some very nice conversions to motor homes. What about them are you into?

 

Glad you liked the story, and thanks for saying so!

 

Best,

 

Geron

  • Like 3
  • Love 2
Link to comment
1 hour ago, Geron Kees said:

 

Hi David,

 

São Paulo? Man, you are a ways from home, huh? Nice to see you here.

 

Buses are also cool. Back when i was a teen, they had these big GMC's roaming around, with the 6-71 blowers on them, that whined and howled, and you could hear them coming for a city block. I saw a demolition derby once with old city buses, and it was one of the most impressive (and destructive) things I have ever seen.

 

They had bus races in these parts, too. A bus is quite an impressive machine, actually, and I have seen some very nice conversions to motor homes. What about them are you into?

 

Glad you liked the story, and thanks for saying so!

 

Best,

 

Geron

 

Oh, I've always been intrigued by larger vehicles. I think they must be fun to drive (challenging too, but I'd say that's part of the fun).

I also like to learn about the organization of the system. Like, the routes, the companies, the schedules, that kind of stuff. When I was a kid I really wanted to be a bus driver, and I had several notebooks filled with drawings of buses (in which I'd do my best to get the geometry as well as the paint job correctly).

Nowadays I spend a good chunk of my free time playing OMSI, a bus simulator. Not racing or anything, just doing simulated city bus routes, picking up and dropping off passengers and stuff. When I tell people about OMSI, they usually think it's pretty boring, and I can certainly see that, but I find it pretty relaxing.

  • Like 3
  • Love 2
Link to comment

I see absolutely nothing wrong with a fascination for buses. Nor most anything else, for that matter.  What catches our eyes and our imaginations is built into us. You are simply following your code. :)

 

I have driven my friend's Winnie, which is built on a bus frame and is quite a Goliath to manage on the road, especially in tight places. It's fun to drive, but you really do need to watch what you are doing. Being the big guy on a road full of smaller, faster, much more nimble cars can be pretty alarming at times, especially as car drivers feel they don't need to cut anyone else any slack. I doubt I'd care to drive such a large vehicle for a living, certainly.

 

I would think with your skills with routing and managing bus travel, you would be valuable to some bus line. How is São Paulo fixed for bus travel? If you have such passion for buses, maybe you can put those talents to work.

 

In any event, keep enjoying what you do. It's yours, and that's what matters.

 

Best,

 

Geron

  • Like 2
  • Love 2
Link to comment
On 9/12/2016 at 4:37 PM, ColumbusGuy said:

I think Annabelle knows about Brian too, unless I'm misreading her actions...or at least has a strong suspicion.

I was thinking that too. If she's as interested in Brian as we've been led to believe, she's been paying attention to what he notices and responds to. I think she'd have a difficult time not noticing that Brian's focused on Jeff.  ;–)

 

Your final lines remind me of the endings of some movies where they sum up what happened and will happen to the characters in the future. Maybe I've been watching too many movies recently (including Frameline42 film festival), but it felt very cinematic. In a good way.  ;–)

Link to comment

*Marty arrives late at the party*

 

I've just binge read this story, Geron. Whilst I'm not a car dude myself (as far as I'm concerned a car is just a means of getting from A to B - and, living as I do in a rural area, also a very necessary thing for me to have), I could still appreciate and enjoy the early chapters with all their talk of stock vehicles, horse power, Camaros, transmissions, gear boxes, etc, etc, etc...

 

I loved the interplay between the characters - the inter school rivalry - and the way you managed to round out just about every character that we met. Jeff was just so loveable, Ed was a delight, and Annabelle looks like she could turn into a very good friend.

 

I'm going to read the sequel next. I might even take time to read that one a little more slowly and comment on the individual chapters, rather than just leaving a single comment to the final chapter (like I've just done with this story). Just might take me a little time to start reading it, though, as I really must get some writing of my own done as well (It can difficult to do that when I am spending so much time reading as well ;)). :) 

  • Like 2
  • Love 1
Link to comment

View Guidelines

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Newsletter

    Sign Up and get an occasional Newsletter.  Fill out your profile with favorite genres and say yes to genre news to get the monthly update for your favorite genres.

    Sign Up
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Our Privacy Policy can be found here: Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue..